Confused about receiving two W2 forms from same employer - one is mostly blank except boxes 18-20

I had this happen to me and I couldn't find any option to override in TurboTax. Would switching to a different tax software like FreeTaxUSA help with this issue? Or should I just mail in a paper return?

You can definitely try a different tax software like FreeTaxUSA or H&R Block online - they sometimes handle these situations differently. In TurboTax, the override option is usually after you've entered all the W2 information and it shows you the review screen with warnings. If you can't find an override option in any software, you may need to file a paper return. But before doing that, you might want to call your employer's payroll department to ask if they can provide a consolidated W2 instead of the split version.

That sounds promising! Does it actually work with TurboTax directly or does it just give you instructions that you have to follow manually? I'm dealing with this exact issue right now.

I'm a bit skeptical about using AI for tax advice. How accurate is it really? Does it just read the documents or does it actually understand tax law well enough to give proper guidance?

It doesn't integrate directly with TurboTax, but it analyzes your documents and then gives you specific instructions for your tax software. In my case, it told me exactly which screens in TurboTax to navigate to and which buttons to click to override the error. The AI is specifically trained on tax documents and IRS guidelines, so it's not just general AI. It recognized my split W2 situation immediately and explained that it's a common payroll practice. It also verified that the numbers made sense when looked at together, which gave me peace of mind.

Wait, is this for real? How does it actually work? I thought it was impossible to get through to the IRS these days.

Sounds like a scam to me. Why would I pay someone to call the IRS when I can just do it myself? The hold times aren't THAT bad if you call early in the morning.

It uses a system that navigates the IRS phone tree and waits on hold for you. When it gets a human agent, it calls you so you can join the call. You don't have to stay on the phone during the hold time - they just call you when an agent is ready. I tried calling myself multiple times at all different hours - early morning, late evening, mid-day - and was never able to get through. The shortest estimated wait time I got was 2+ hours, and I got disconnected twice after waiting over an hour. With Claimyr, I was talking to a real IRS agent in under 25 minutes without having to stay by my phone the whole time.

I double-checked both forms and neither has the "Corrected" box marked. They both have the same employer info and my info, but like I said, the second one only has state tax information (boxes 18-20) filled in and everything else is blank. Based on everyone's comments, it seems like this is a split W2 situation where federal and state are separate.

If neither is marked as corrected, then yes, you're definitely dealing with a split federal/state W2 situation. Your employer has filed your federal tax info on one form and state tax info on another. Both forms are valid and need to be entered separately. If TurboTax is giving you trouble, look for an option that says something like "This W2 contains only state information" when entering the second W2. Sometimes it's hidden in an "advanced" or "special situations" menu. If you still can't find it, then the suggestions others mentioned about using the override function or calling the IRS for guidance are your best options.

Yes! In TurboTax there's actually a checkbox specifically for state-only W2s. After you enter the employer information, look for "Special Situations" at the bottom of the screen and select "This W-2 has state information only." That should let you e-file without errors.